Football yardage measuring device

ABSTRACT

A football yardage measuring device and method for using same. The device includes an elongate rod of sufficient length to reach a football from one of the plural established yardage lines on the football field regardless of where said football is on the football field, a reference marker and a slideable measuring pointer mounted on said rod to enable accurate distance measurement between a football and a yardage line by one individual, and a visual indicator attached to one end of said rod to present a clear indication of the point to which the football must be advanced for a first down when said rod is placed in a vertical position at said point.

United States Patent 1191 Dicker 1 Oct. 30, 1973 FOOTBALL YARDAGEMEASURING DEVICE [76] Inventor: George L. Dicker, 17938 Irvine Blvd.,Tustin, Calif. 92680 [22] Filed: May 12, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 252,598

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No.87,531, Nov. 6,

1970, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 116/114 R, 33/18 R, 33/289, 40/125 J [51] Int. Cl. G0ld21/00 [58] Field of Search 116/114, 135; 33/18 R, 32 B, 32 C, 289, 158;40/125 J [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,384,150 9/1945Balmer 33/125 2,064,745 12/1936 Harrie 40/125 J 2,795,853 6/1957Benfield et al..... 40/125 .1

3,181,241 5/1965 Middleton. 33/289 3,678,592 7/1972 Williamson 33/289FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 9,507 1905 Great Britain 33/158 PrimaryExaminer-Louis J. Capozi [57] ABSTRACT A football yardage measuringdevice and method for using same. The device includes an elongate rod ofsufficient length to reach a football from one of the plural establishedyardage lines on the football field regardless of where said football ison the football field, a reference marker and a slideable measuringpointer mounted on said rod to enable accurate distance measurementbetween a football and a yardage line by one individual, and a visualindicator attached to one end of said rod to present a clear indicationof the point to which the football must be advanced for a first downwhen said rod is placed in a vertical position at said point.

11 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENIEDnmsown 3.768.435

NVENTOR.

1 650 965 L. D/CKEIQ 1f BY Fan/L ER, KNOBBE PATENIEnum so 191513,768,435

sum 3 0r 4 PATENIEDumao ma SHEET Q 0F 4 FOOTBALL YARDAGE MEASURINGDEVICE RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part ofcopending application Ser. No. 87,531, filed Nov. 6, 1970 entitledFOOTBALL YARDAGE MEASURING DEVICE, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of athleticequipment and, more particularly, it is concerned with the measurementof the ten yard distance required in football games for the achievementof a first down, and the accomplishment of this measurement by oneperson.

The prevalent practice for measuring first down yardage in footballgames is the use of two elongate rods, one end of each rod connected toone end of a yard length of chain. This device is used by placing one ofthe rods vertically at the position at which the football is placed atthe beginning of play. The other rod is positioned by stretching thechain, so that the second rod is 10 yards down field from the first rodand, when placed vertically at that point, marks the position to whichthe ball must be moved for a first down, known as the line to gainpoint. If the chain must be carried to the center of the field tomeasure the position of the football and, thereby, determine whether afirst down has been achieved, it has been the practice to hold the chainat the point where it crosses an established yardage line, so that thechain with its associated rods may be properly placed on the field byreplacing the held portion of the chain on the same established yardageline on the playing field near the football. In order to use the chain,it has been common to employ one individual to handle each of the rodsat the end of the chain and to employ a third man to properly positionthe held portion of the chain on the established yardage line duringmeasurements. It was therefore necessary to have two people handling thedevice at all times with the assistance of the third person, such as ahead linesman, when measurements were made in the center of the field.

Likewise the chain has caused many injuries to players. Sincetheposition'of the vertical rods is the only record kept of the positionto which the ball must be advanced for a first down, if the rods get inthe way of players running from the field during play, the rods areallowed to fall in place. If a player falls into one of the rods, he maybe seriously injured.

Notwithstanding the variety of drawbacks of the ,chain, it has been usedfor many years due to the lack of an accurate and safe replacementdevice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, on the other hand, is ameasuring device which measures the position of a football from thenearest established yardage line when play is begun. The deviceestablishes the distance between the football and this yardage line andenables the person utilizing the device to move the device down thefield ten yards, so that the line-to-gain may be located from a secondestablished yardage line 10 yards down field. Therefore, utilizing theaccurately spaced established yardage lines, the device will determinethe location on the field which is 10 yards beyond the point where playis begun, thereby, indicating the line to gain point. Since the deviceis unitary, including no long, highly flexible members such as the chainof the normal measuring device, it is conveniently handled and operatedby one person without sacrificing the accuracy required in suchmeasurements.

Likewise the device may be moved away from the playing field whilemaintaining a record of the line to gain point. Thus, when playersapproach the sideline where the device is placed, the operator can pickup the device and run from the approaching players, leaving no obstaclesbehind which can cause injury.

Because the device includes a visual indicator at one end, the device isused as a line to gain indicator on the sideline when no measurementsare being made. This not only eliminates the need for an extra piece ofequipment to use as a line to gain indicator, but also eliminates theneed for an additional individual to operate such an additional piece ofequipment, for one individual executes both the measuring function andthe indicator function with this one device.

This device may also be utilized to re-establish yardage lines whichbecome obliterated as a result of the play of the game and inclementweather.

The details of the device utilized in the present invention, as well asthe method in which this device is used, is best understood through adetailed description of the preferred embodiment which is shown in thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the overall apparatus in its horizontalposition, with the erect or vertical position shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a detailed elevation view of the pointer end of the deviceshowing two positions of the measuring pointer when the device is in thehorizontal position;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the pointer end of the device showing theposition of the measuring pointer when the device is in the erectposition;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2 and showingthe detailed structure of the measuring pointer;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a football playing field, showing thedevice horizontally positioned above a football and erect at thesidelines to detail the method for using the device;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5 but showing the measurementto the football from an alternate yardage marking line;

FIG. 7 is a detailed elevation view of the bracket end of the device,showing the alternate measuring pointer;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 7, showing theend view of the detailed structure of the alternate measuring pointer;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 99 in FIG. 8, showing theside view of the detailed structure of the alternate measuring pointerwith pointer leg in the locked position;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view, showing the side view of the detailedstructure of the alternate measuring pointer with pointer leg in theunlocked position;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the line maker mounted on the device;and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a football playing field, showing thedevice in the horizontal position perpendicular to the sideline andextending into the playing field.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG.1, the apparatus of the present invention can be seen to include anelongate rod or member which is preferably made from lightweightmaterial such as extruded aluminum or may be made from a semi-flexiblematerial such as hard rubber polyester, or fibre glass. One end of thisrod 10 is pointed at 12 to allow it to be pushed into the playing fieldwhen the rod is in the erect position, thereby marking the position ofthe rod and making the rod semi-selfsupporting in the erect or verticalposition. This end 12 of the rod 10 is firmly attached to a U-shapedsupporting bracket or stationary marker 14, which, in addition tosupporting this end 12 of the rod 10 when the rod is horizontal,functions as a reference marker, as will be described below. The otherend of the rod 10 is firmly attached to both a visual indicator 16 and astandard 18. The standard 18 is designed to'maintain this end of the rod10 at substantially the same height as the pointed end 12 of the rod 10when the rod 10 is in the horizontal position. The visual indicator 16is used to make the position of the rod highly visible to fans andplayers when the rod is in the erect position. The inclusion of a visualindicator as part of the invention is an important feature in that theneed for a separate indicator of the point to which the football must beadvanced to achieve a first down, known as the line to gain point, isunnecessary and, therefore, eliminates the need for the use of anadditional individual normally required. The present invention enablesone individual not only to make the necessary measurements with the rodin the horizontal position as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 1, butalso to clearly show to the game officials and players the line to gainpoint by holding the rod in a vertical direction at a correspondingpoint on the sideline as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 1.

The rod 10 additionally supports a sliding measuring pointer or marker20. The position of this pointer 20 along the rod 10 is adjustable, sothat the distance between the pointer 20 and the U-shaped supportingbracket 14 may be precisely set. This distance is used as a first downyardage measuring scale, as will be explained below.

It can be seen in FIG. 1 that the feet of the U-shaped bracket 14 aremade to have the same width as a yardage line 22 which is placed on thefootball field. This yardage line 22 is typically drawn on the fieldwith the use of powdered lime and has a width of approximately 4 inches.The U-shaped bracket foot is therefore typically 4 inches wide so thatwhen it is placed above the yardage line 22 it may be accurately locatedover the line with the leading edge 24 and the trailing edge 26 of thebracket 14 aligned with the leading and trailing edges of the yardageline 22. In this way measurements made from the established yardage line22 may be made as accurately as possible. If the width of the linevaries, the U-shaped bracket may be placed on the line with the trailingedge 26 on the edge of the yardage line furthest from the line-to-gainpoint.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the pointer 20 can beadjustably positioned along the elongate rod 10. By way of example, twopositions are shown, the first being a position shown in full linesseparated by some distance from the U-shaped supporting bracket 14, andthe second position shown in dashed lines being the extreme position atwhich a pointer leg 28 of the pointer 20 is aligned with the trailingedge 26 of the U-shaped supporting bracket. It can be seen that theleading edge 26 of the legs of the U-shaped supporting bracket 14preferably lie at an acute angle from the rod 10, so that the pointer 20may be placed in an extreme position as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2,thereby aligning the pointer leg 28 of the pointer 20 with the bottom ofthe trailing edge 26 of the bracket 14. This alignment allowsmeasurement to a football which lies partially over the yardage line 22,as will be more completely described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

It can be seen in FIG. 2 that the pointer leg 28 is pivotally mountedabout a pivot pin 52 relative the pointer 20. This enables the pointerleg 28 to be rotated to a position shown in FIG. 3, so that, when therod is in the erect position, the pointer 28 will not present adangerous protrusion from the device during play.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the details of the pointer 20 and the pointerleg 28 may be explained. This pointer 20 comprises an essentiallyrectangular housing 32 having an essentially square opening 34 which isslightly larger than the outer dimensions of the rod 10 for slideablyreceiving the rod 10. As seen in FIG. 4, the rod 10 is preferably ahollow square tube. The housing 32 has a tapped hole 35 to receive athreaded stop or bolt 36 which, when threaded into engagement with therod 10, will maintain a preset position of the pointer 20 along the rod10.

A pointer leg supporting block 38 fits within a recess 40 on the lowerside of the housing 32. The upper surface 39 of this block 38 ispreferably rectangular in shape, and the recess 40 is preferably amatching rectangle, so that the upper surface 39 of the block 38 willfit in either one of two positions within the recess 40. In order toaccomplish rotation between these positions, the block 38 is attached toa bolt 42 which is rotatably adjusted in an opening 44 at the bottom ofthe housing 32 adjacent the recess 40. The bolt 42 is biased by a spring46 which bears against the bolt 42 and the housing 32 to maintain theblock 38 within the recess 40. In order to rotate the block 38 and bolt42 within the opening 44, it is necessary for the operator to pull theblock 38 and its attached bolt 42 away from the housing 32 to rotate theblock 38. By then allowing the bias of the spring 46 to bring the block38 back into the recess 40 after the block 38 has been rotated thedirection of the vertical measuring edge 48 of the pointer leg 28 (asseen in FIG. 2) is reversed. This reversal allows an accuratemeasurement to be made by adjusting the pointer 20 and its associatedpointer leg 28 against a football on either side of the pointer 20.Thus, if the football is between the pointer 20 and the U-shaped bracket14, the pointer leg 28 will be positioned as shown in FIG. 2, so thatthe vertical measuring edge 48 may be positioned against one end of thefootball for accurate placement of the pointer 20 along the rod 10. Ifon the other hand, the football is between the pointer 20 and thestandard 18, the pointer leg 28 is rotated about the opening 44 so thatthe vertical measuring edge 48 faces the standard 18.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the pointer leg 28 is rotatably mounted on anextension 51 of the block 38 by means of a pin 52 which is securedwithin the extension 51. The pointer leg 28 is biased against theextension 51 by a spring 54. A protrusion 56 on the surface of theextension 51 fits within a detent 58 on the surface of the pointer leg28 when the pointer leg 28 is in the position shown in FIG. 2, and fitswithin a similar detent (not shown) when the pointer leg 28 is in theposition shown in FIG. 3. The spring 54 will therefore allow the pointerleg 28 to rotate about the pin 52 and will maintain the pointer leg 28in the position shown in either FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 by interlocking theprotrusion 56 with one of the detents.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the method for using the disclosedapparatus will be explained.

Referring first to FIG. 5, a football 50 is shown in dashed lines at itsposition at the beginning of play and in full lines at the position towhich it must be advanced to achieve a first down, that is, ten yardsdown field from the position shown in dashed lines or the line to gainpoint. As can be seen, the football field is marked by establishedyardage lines 22 which are typically spaced at distances of five yards.Therefore, in order to accurately determine the position of the ball 50shown in full lines, the device is initially placed in the position A ofFIG. 5. The U-shaped bracket 14 is aligned with the nearest yardage line22 and the pointer 20 is adjusted along the rod 10, so that the leadingedge of the football 50 just touches the measuring edge 48 (FIG. 2) ofthe pointer leg 28 of the pointer 20.

Since the football 50 is nearest a yardage line 22 which lies in theopposite direction along the field from the direction in which the ballis to be moved, the measuring edge 48 of the pointer leg 28 is rotated,as explained in reference to FIG. 4, so that it faces the U- shapedbracket 14 and may therefore be positioned against the leading edge ofthe football 50. The threaded stop 36 is then tightened so that thedistance between the bracket 14 and the pointer 20 is accuratelyrecorded. The operator now moves the device to position B shown in FIG.5 which is also the position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1. He alignsthe U-shaped bracket 14 along the sidelines over a yardage line 22 whichis displaced by ten yards from the yardage line 22 from which theoriginal measurement at position A was made. By resting his foot againstthe pointer leg 28, and by then erecting the rod and placing the end 12of the rod into the ground adjacent his foot, as shown in dashed linesin FIG. 1, the operator can erect the rod along the sideline at aposition parallel to the line to gain point. This erect position is theposition C shown in FIG. 5 and will be visible to players, officials andfans.

If the ball is advanced down field a sufficient distance that theachievement of the first down position is doubtful, the operator canmove the device to position D shown in FIG. 5 and align the U-shapedbracket 14 with the yardage line 22, so that a highly accuratemeasurement can be made to determine whether the leading edge of thefootball 50 has reached the pointer leg 28, indicating that a first downhas been achieved.

Referring to FIG. 6, it can be seen that if the football 50 shown indashed lines is to be advanced in the same direction along the field asrequired in FIG. 5, but is closer to a yardage line 22 in the directionof the required advance of the ball, the measurement is made by placingthe U-shaped bracket 14 on a line which is ahead of the football. Thepointer leg 28 must then be rotated so that the measuring edge 48 facesaway from the U-shaped bracket 14, thereby allowing accuratemeasurements to be made to the leading edge of the football 50 from thisadvanced yardage line 22. This ability to measure distances from eithera line forward of or behind the direction of advancement of the football50 allows the measurement of the position of a football anywhere on thefield from a yardage line 22, utilizing a rod which spans only slightlymore than half the distance between adjacent yardage lines 22. Thus, therod in the preferred embodiment is approximately 3 yards in length.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative type of pointer 20A. A detail of thispointer is reflected in FIGS. 8 and 9. The pointer 20A slides over therod 10 and has a rectangular configuration. The exterior of the markeris generally composed of two identical side plates 60 and a top block 62located on top of the rod 10 between the two side plates 60. Attached tothe bottom of the top block is a smooth material such as Teflon 63.Located under the rod is a compression block 64 with a rubber or highfriction surface type material 66 positioned between the block 64 andthe rod 10. At the center of this compression block 64 is a channelednotch 68 running between the two side plates 60. Extending down fromthis notch at the mid-point between the two side plates is a circularhole 70. A bolt 72 is fitted into this circular hole with the head 74 ofthe bolt 72 located in the channeled notch 68. Superimposed on themid-section of the bolt 72 is a spring 76 which is positioned betweenthe compression block 64 and a lower block 78. At the center of thislower block 78 is a channeled notch 80 running between the two sideplates 60. A circular hole 82 extends down through the lower block 78from a point in the channeled notch 80 mid-way between the two sideplates 60. The bolt 72 extends down through this hole 82 and is threadedinto the pointer leg 84.

The side plates 60 are of a general rectangular shape except that theconfiguration of the bottom edge 86 reflects a slight downwardprotruding curve, and the side plates are secured against the top block62 and the lower block 78 by four screws 88 in each plate 60. Two of thescrews 88a secure the plate to the top block and two screws 88b secureit to the lower block. Extending from below the lower block 78 and theside plates 60 is the pointer leg 84. The pointer leg is connected tothe pointer 20A by a bolt 72. The pointer leg 84 is comprised of twoprimary elements, consisting of a horizontal block 90 and a vertical leg92. In the top center of the horizontal block 90 is located a hole 94into which the bolt 72 is threaded. The horizontal block adheres to thebottom side 96 of the lower block 78. This adhesion is the result of thepressure produced by the spring 76. In the top of the horizontal blockare two longitudinal notches 98 running along each side of the block 90for receiving the downward protruding curve 86 of the side plates 60.

The vertical leg 92, extending down from the horizontal block 90,consists of two thin fiat members 92a and 92b with the edge 100 of onemember 92a attached to the center 102 of the flat surface 104 of theother 92b. The opposite flat surface 105 of member 92b is the measuringsurface to be placed adjacent to the leading edge of the football.

The utilization of this alternate pointer 20A is the same as that forthe pointer 20 reflected in FIGS. 5 and 6, for the pointer 20A isslideably mounted on the rod 10 in order to be positioned at the properlocation to record the point to which the football must be advanced inorder to achieve a first down, also known as the line to gain point. Themeasurement process has been explained previously. A discussion of theoperation of the pointer 20A is necessary in order to fully appreciateits advantages. Since it is very important that the record of thedistance of the football 50 from the respective yard lines 22 must beaccurately maintained, so that any dispute as to the attainment of afirst down does not arise, the pointer 20A must be locked firmly ontothe rod 10 once the distance has been measured. Furthermore, it isnecessary that the pointer A can be easily moved along the rod 10 whenmeasuring the initial location of the football 50. The pointer 20A issecurely locked onto the rod 10 when the pointer leg 84 is in theposition shown in FIG. 9, for the spring 76 which is supported by thelower block 78 exerts a pressure on the compression block 64, causingthe friction surface 66 to adhere tightly to the rod 10 and locking thepointer 20A thereon.

To unlock the pointer 20A in order for it to move freely along the rod10 the pointer leg 84 must be in the position reflected in FIG. 10. Toobtain this resultant position, it is necessary to first exert a forcedownward away from the rod 10 in an axis perpendicular to the axis ofthe rod, and this is usually done by grasping the pointer leg andpulling downward. Since the bolt 72 is threaded into the pointer 20A,this downward force causes the bolt 72 to be moved downward, pulling thecompression block 64 away from the rod 10 and unlocking the pointer 20Afrom the rod 10.

To maintain an unlocked position for the pointer 20A the pointer leg 84must be rotated 90 to the position shown in FIG. 10. Here the lowerextremity 106 of the downward protruding curves 86 on the side plates 60act as a restraining barrier to the top surface 108 of the horizontalblock 90 of the pointer leg 84 to keep the spring 76 in compression andprevent the compression block 64 from pressing against the rod 10.

On the side of the pointer 20A and pointer leg 84 are indicia of sometype such as different colored paint or an arrow in order toautomatically reflect which direction the play of football is proceedingwhen the pointer leg 84 is set in the locked position (FIG. 7) and,therefore, allow the operator of the device to always know in whichdirection from the reference yardage line 22 to measure.

It can be seen that the position of the pointer 20 or 20A along the rod10 maintains a record of the distance beyond a yardage line 22 to whichthe football must be advanced to achieve a first down. Therefore, evenif the rod 10 must be moved from the sidelines to give way to playersrunning toward the sidelines of the field, this record is not lost. Therod 10 may therefore be freely moved from the sidelines to avoid injuryto players.

Likewise, the direction in which the pointer leg 28 or 84 has beenrotated relative the pointer 20 or 20A respectively maintains a recordof the line 22 from which measurement was made. Thus, if the football isapproximately midway between two yardage lines 22 at the beginning ofthe play, the operator can measure from either the line 22 leading orthe line 22 trailing the football. In these alternative cases, thepointer leg 28 must be rotated in opposite directions, so that themeasuring edge 48 can be placed adjacent the leading edge of thefootball. The rotation of pointer leg 28 thus produces a record of theline used for measurement.

As an alternative to the method described in reference to FIGS. 5 and 6,it is possible to set the position of the pointer 20 along the rod 10 byaligning the 4 pointer with the position of the downsmarker located onthe sidelines to estimate the position of the football. The pointer 20may then be adjusted by placing the rod 10 in the horizontal position atthe sidelines with the bracket 14 aligned with a yardage line 22, andadjusting the pointer 20 to the location of the downsmarker.

It will be noted from FIG. 1 that, when the rod 10 is in the horizontalposition, adjustment of the pointer 20 (or pointer 20A in FIG. 7) isfacilitated by making the pointer 20 with its associated pointer leg 28shorter than the bracket 14 and standard 18, thus allowing the pointer20 to move without touching the playing field when the rod 10 is in thehorizontal position.

It can be seen that if the football 50 lies partially over a yardageline 22, the U-shaped bracket 14 will straddle the ball and the pointer20 or pointer 20A may still be moved to a position adjacent the leadingedge of the football. This is accomplished, as explained in reference toFIG. 2, by offsetting the U-shaped bracket 14 at an acute angle from therod 10, so that the measuring edge 48 of the pointer leg 28 may bealigned with the trailing edge 26 of the U-shaped bracket 14.

Another embodiment of this invention involves the ability tore-establish yard lines 22 which have been obliterated during the playof the game as a result of inclement weather. Since the basic operationof the invention relies on the utilization of the established yard lines22 of the football field, it is imperative to be able to quicklyre-establish a worn out segment of a reference yard line. This operationutilizes the structural invention as discussed previously plus the useof a line maker which is reflected in FIG. 11. The main portion of theline maker 1 10 is a thin scribing element 1 12 with a wide and flatarrow shaped configuration terminating with a curved point 114. Thislong scribing element 112 is attached to one side of a separator block116 by two screws 118. Attached to the opposite side of the separatorblock 1 16 by two screws is a holder element 120 which is also wide andthin, but short. The U-shaped arrangement formed by the scriber element112, the separator block 116 and the holder element 120 fits looselyover the rod 10.

With reference to FIG. 12, in order to re-establish a partially worn outyard line 22 the invention is placed horizontal and perpendicular to thesideline 23 with the U-bracket feet 21 on the sideline and with the feetstraddling the yard line 22 equidistant from each foot 21 as reflectedby position A. By placing the bracket 14 in such a manner the rod 10 isperpendicular to the sideline 23 and a line 22A can be quickly scribedout in the dirt or mud by manually moving the line maker 110 along therod 10. Being a little longer than the bracket 14, the scriber element112 is able to etch out a line 22A in the ground. If a line 22 becomesworn out nearly the entire width of the football field, the device canbe used to quickly re-establish the whole line. The process begins justas stated before by placing the U- bracket 14 on the sideline 23 withthe rod 10 extending horizontally out into the playing field as shownwith position A in FIG. 12. The standard 18 on the other end of the rod10 is pressed into the ground making a short line 122 perpendicular tothe new yard line 22A with the same width as the U-bracket 14. The rod10 is picked up and moved further onto the field by placing the leadingedge 24 of each of the U-bracket feet 21 on the short line 122 whichwill maintain the rod 10 in a continued perpendicular direction from thesideline 23. The process is continued as. shown by positions A through Cuntil the operator in FIG. 12 has reestablished the worn out yard line22A as far across the field as necessary. If the worn out portion of theline is a short section in the middle of the field, the rod can bealigned between two visible segments of the line, enabling the use ofthe line maker to re-establish the yard line to enable the use of theyardage measuring device.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus to enable one individual to measure and record thenecessary distance to which a football must be advanced in order toobtain a first down comprising:

an elongate rod of a length at least one-half the distance betweenadjacent established yardage lines;

a stationary marker on said rod adapted as a reference mark foralignment with one of said established yardage lines;

a visual indicator connected on one end of said rod to show the line togain point when said rod is vertically erected; and

a pointer slideably mounted on said rod for accurately recordingthedistance between the football and the nearest said establishedyardage line, so that said recorded distance can be transferred to asecond established yardage line which is separated from said nearestestablished yardage line by the distance required for a first down inorder to locate the line to gain point.

2. A pointer in accordance with claim 1 comprising:

means to lock said pointer onto said rod;

a pointer leg connected to said pointer; and

means to rotate said pointer leg about its longitudinal axis, which isperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said rod, so that themeasuring surface of said pointer leg is always facing the directionopposite to the direction of play.

3. A pointer in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means to rotatesaid pointer leg comprises:

a bolt mounted in said pointer;

a spring superimposed around said bolt; and

a pointer leg connected to said pointer, so that by pulling said pointerleg with a force in a perpendicular direction away from said rod androtating said pointer leg 180, the said measuring surface can always befacing the direction opposite from which the ball is proceeding in theplay of the game. I

4. An improved football measuring apparatus as defined in claim 2wherein said pointer leg includes indicia placed thereon in order torecord from which direction to measure from said second establishedyardage line when said pointer leg is in a locked position.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said stationary markercomprises a U-shaped bracket with two legs separated by a distancegreater than the length of said football and extending down from saidrod at an acute angle facing the other end of said rod, so that, if saidfootball lies partially over said established yardage line, said markercan be placed on said established yardage line by straddling saidfootball and said pointer can be slideably moved along said rod betweensaid le s.

6. A device for measuring the distance between a football and anestablished yardage line on a football field comprising:

an elongate rod;

a stationary marker, fixed to said rod, adapted for alignment with saidestablished yardage line; and

a pointer, which is moveable along said rod and includes a pointer legand means to connect said pointer leg to said pointer, so that saidpointer leg may be rotated about an axis perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of said rod in order that said pointer leg will lieparallel to said rod and, thereby, not present a dangerous protrusionfrom said rod.

7. An improved football yardage measuring apparatus of the type whereinthe line to gain point is determined by the use of an elongate rodhaving a stationary reference marker and a slideable pointer forrecording distances, wherein the improvement comprises:

a visual indicator which is connected to one end of said elongate rod toshow the location of the line to gain point when said rod is erectedvertically at said point; and

means to automatically lock said slideable pointer onto said rod.

8. An improved football yardage measuring apparatus as defined in claim7 wherein said means to automatically lock said slideable pointer ontosaid elongate rod comprises:

a friction surface mounted within said pointer for contact with saidrod;

a pointer leg; and

means to attach said pointer leg to said pointer, so

that, when said pointer leg is in the position to record said yardage,said pointer will be automatically locked onto said rod.

9. An improved football yardage measuring apparatus as defined in claim8 wherein said means to attach said pointer leg to said pointercomprises a bolt mounted within said pointer and connected to saidpointer leg, and a spring superimposed about said bolt, so that, whensaid pointer leg is in position to record said yardage, said springcompresses said friction surface onto said rod and, thereby, locks saidpointer onto said rod.

10. An improved football yardage measuring apparatus of the type whereinthe line to gain point is determined by the use of an elongate rodhaving a stationary reference marker and a slideable pointer forrecording distances, wherein said slideable pointer comprises: I

a bolt mounted within said pointer;

a spring superimposed around said bolt;

a friction surface compressed against said rod by said spring; and

a pointer leg connected to said pointer by said bolt, so that, when saidpointer leg is pulled by a face in a perpendicular direction away fromsaid rod and rotated about the axis of the direction of said force, saidfriction surface is released from said rod, allowing said pointer tomove freely along said rod.

11. A device for measuring the distance which a football must be movedto achieve a first down, said device adapted for use on playing fieldsmarked with yardage lines separated by said distance, comprising:

an elongate member;

means mounted on said elongate member for recording the distance of saidfootball from one of said yardage lines, said elongate member and meansbeing portable, so that theymay be moved to another of said yardagelines to compare the distance of said football from said other of saidyardage lines placed vertically adjacent a position on said field towith said recorded distance; and which said football is to be moved, itsposition will a visual indicator, attached at one end of said elonbehighly visible. gate member, so that, when said elongate rod is

1. An apparatus to enable one individual to measure and record thenecessary distance to which a football must be advanced in order toobtain a first down comprising: an elongate rod of a length at leastone-half the distance between adjacent established yardage lines; astationary marker on said rod adapted as a reference mark for alignmentwith one of said established yardage lines; a visual indicator connectedon one end of said rod to show the line to gain point when said rod isvertically erected; and a pointer slideably mounted on said rod foraccurately recording the distance between the football and the nearestsaid established yardage line, so that said recorded distance can betransferred to a second established yardage line which is separated fromsaid nearest established yardage line by the distance required for afirst down in order to locate the line to gain point.
 2. A pointer inaccordance with claim 1 comprising: means to lock said pointer onto saidrod; a pointer leg connected to said pointer; and means to rotate saidpointer leg about its longitudinal axis, which is perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of said rod, so that the measuring surface of saidpointer leg is always facing the direction opposite to the direction ofplay.
 3. A pointer in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means torotate said pointer leg comprises: a bolt mounted in said pointer; aspring superimposed around said bolt; and a pointer leg connected tosaid pointer, so that by pulling said pointer leg with a force in aperpendicular direction away from said rod and rotating said pointer leg180*, the said measuring surface can always be facing the directionopposite from which the ball is proceeding in the play of the game. 4.An improved football measuring apparatus as defined in claim 2 whereinsaid pointer leg includes indicia placed thereon in order to record fromwhich direction to measure from said second established yardage linewhen said pointer leg is in a locked position.
 5. An apparatus asdefined in claim 1 wherein said stationary marker comprises a U-shapedbracket with two legs separated by a distance greater than the length ofsaid football and extending down from said rod at an acute angle facingthe other end of said rod, so that, if said football lies partially oversaid established yardage line, said marker can be placed on saidestablished yardage line by straddling said football and said pointercan be slideably moved along said rod between said legs.
 6. A device formeasuring the distance between a football and an established yardageline on a football field comprising: an elongate rod; a stationarymarker, fixed to said rod, adapted for alignment with said establishedyardage line; and a pointer, which is moveable along said rod andincludes a pointer leg and means to connect said pointer leg to saidpointer, so that said pointer leg may be rotated about an axisperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said rod in order that saidpointer leg will lie parallel to said rod and, thereby, not present adangerous protrusion from said rod.
 7. An improved football yardagemeasuring apparatus of the type wherein the line to gain point isdetermined by the use of an elongate rod having a stationary referencemarker and a slideable pointer for recording distances, wherein theimprovement comprises: a visual indicator which is connected to one endof said elongate rod to show the location of the line to gain point whensaid rod is erected vertically at said point; and means to automaticallylock said slideable pointer onto said rod.
 8. An improved footballyardage measuring apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said means toautomatically lock said slideable pointer onto said elongate rodcomprises: a friction surface mounted within said pointer for contactwith said rod; a pointer leg; and means to attach said pointer leg tosaid pointer, so that, when said pointer leg is in the position torecord said yardage, said pointer will be automatically locked onto saidrod.
 9. An improved football yardage measuring apparatus as defined inclaim 8 wherein said means to attach said pointer leg to said pointercomprises a bolt mounted within said pointer and connected to saidpointer leg, and a spring superimposed about said bolt, so that, whensaid pointer leg is in position to record said yardage, said springcompresses said friction surface onto said rod and, thereby, locks saidpointer onto said rod.
 10. An improved football yardage measuringapparatus of the type wherein the line to gain point is determined bythe use of an elongate rod having a stationary reference marker and aslideable pointer for recording distances, wherein said slideablepointer comprises: a bolt mounted within said pointer; a springsuperimposed around said bolt; a friction surface compressed againstsaid rod by said spring; and a pointer leg connected to said pointer bysaid bolt, so that, when said pointer leg is pulled by a face in aperpendicular direction away from said rod and rotated 90* about theaxis of the direction of said force, said friction surface is releasedfrom said rod, allowing said pointer to move freely along said rod. 11.A device for measuring the distance which a football must be moved toachieve a first down, said device adapted for use on playing fieldsmarked with yardage lines separated by said distance, comprising: anelongate member; means mounted on said elongate member for recording thedistance of said football from one of said yardage lines, said elongatemember and means being portable, so that they may be moved to another ofsaid yardage lines to compare the distance of said football from saidother of said yardage lines with said recorded distance; and a visualindicator, attached at one end of said elongate member, so that, whensaid elongate rod is placed vertically adjacent a position on said fieldto which said football is to be moved, its position will be highlyvisible.